


Monster.

by dark_sequoia



Category: Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 08:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23847955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_sequoia/pseuds/dark_sequoia
Summary: He shouldn't have come back, he thought as he ran through the woods. The family was on his tail, shouting something. Possibly his name. He couldn't be sure.I was inspired by fablegate's animation of a Hat in time, Dodie's Monster has been playing basically non stop in my brain. Check them out on tumblr. This isn't relative to the story but it could be. I might make it a branching path. Who knows.
Comments: 1





	Monster.

**Author's Note:**

> An idea that festered in my head so I wrote it. Simple as that.

He shouldn't have come back, he thought as he ran through the woods. The family was on his tail, shouting something. Possibly his name. He couldn't be sure. Daylight was fading when he'd been discovered observing the playful interaction between siblings he used to know, kids he used to laugh with. Just another part of him left behind, abandoned like an empty shell. He'd travelled far to sate the irritating voice bouncing around in his skull, far from his home. The voice was begging, pleading with him to do something he wouldn't ever risk considering. 'Please stop running! They are your family! They want to help! Let me in!'

" ~~John~~!!"

He ran faster, weaving between enormous towering trees to lose them. Creatures big and small scurried out of his way as he galloped through the undergrowth, casting a glance behind him and growled in frustration. He took a sharp left, rocky cliffs covered in moss and ferns to his left. A long time ago he knew what their botanical names were. Now? They told him their true names. Not silly and confusing terms made up by scientists.

" ~~JOHN~~!!"

A deep yet familiar voice shouted from behind him. It was none of their concern, why did they chase after him? 'Maybe to kill you. Maybe to imprison you in a glass box for all eternity.' A couple of suggestions sprang to mind, he snarled in reply. He was stupid, coming so close to town. He'd been seen and now they would never let him be. That scientist would hound him to no avail, determined to find out everything there was to know about him. Who knows what would happen to him afterwards, he didn't want to find out. The same voice spewed lies, saying they were only trying to help him. He'd been burned before and he was done listening. A distant scream stopped him in his tracks. His ears flicked back and he caught an unwelcome scent. He turned on his heel and ran back, despite his own internal voice screaming at him. Ignoring it and instead focusing on the threat looming over one of the humans.

' ~~Mabel~~.' Memory supplied but he cast it aside, barreling into the bear. He sank his teeth into its hide, yowling when it fangs pierced his skin. They broke apart, circling one another. He remained between the human and the threat, barking furiously, ready to attack if it insisted. Rivulets of blood coloured his fur from the wound on his shoulder. No one moved for the longest time. He'd run into the bear before, it owned territory near the cliffs on the cliffs but it wanted more. More mates, more prey, more everything.

" ~~John~~?"

The human behind asked and he turned his head lightly as if to acknowledge her. Something hit the bear in the back and it roared, slumping forward and promptly didn't get back up. Humans that shared the same face stood a short distance away, a weapon aimed now at his head.

"Don't shoot him, Grunkle Ford!"

"Mabel!" The other moved closer, hands out as if to mean no harm. He was outnumbered three to one and he didn't like those odds. Another moved at the corner of his eye and with cold dread did he recognise the contraption in the human's grip. He leapt back, narrowly avoiding a whirling weighted coil of ropes striking the ground he occupied moments before. He snarled low in his throat and fled, leaving the group behind.

It was night when he made it back to his den, the cave dark and inviting. Remnants of his last meal scattered the dirt floor and he made a mental note to clean later. After spending a while tending to his injured shoulder, he curled up in the corner of the den. Worry kept sleep at a distance as he watched the mouth of the cave, waiting and watching for any potential threats that might come his way. He needed to be careful now, the scientist was in fact, determined to catch him and there was no way in hell that he was going to go down without a fight. He'd been human once, a life he could remember very little of. Sometimes he would wake up and his body would feel wrong, like it wasn't how he was supposed to be. Something had happened but he couldn't recall what exactly. The townsfolk looked at him in alarm and horror and ran away screaming, fearing for their lives. Fleeting memories of his past scattered across his mind's eye and he huffed. Stan, a con artist and a friend. Mabel, a force of positivity not to be reckoned with. Dipper, a young mind who wanted to know. Something in his heart twinged at the last human he thought about. Ford, who'd stolen his heart and not even realised it. Stars lit up the night sky and the moon hung there, suspended in partial shadow. He recalled names of constellations he searched for in the expanse of endless darkness. His tail thumped against the ground once, twice when emotions associated with the names drifted through to him. Memories of sitting somewhere high, laughing with a twin, pointing out and making up new constellations. There was a heavy sadness that made it difficult to breathe when he thought of his kin, his departed brothers. A deep whine escaped him, developing to a howl dripping with melancholy.

*^*

Dipper moved to switch off the lantern when he heard a sound drifting through the open window. "Mabel!"

"What?!"

"Listen!" He said to her in a hissed whisper. Mabel folded her arms and shut up. Seconds passed and she opened her mouth to speak when there it was again. "Is that--?"

"John." The pair rushed downstairs in their pyjamas, barging out the front door and stopped on the porch before they collided with Stan. "Children! You shouldn't be up this late--!"

"Can it, Ford and listen!" Everything fell silent and distant howling echoed from the woods. They recognised the pitch. It was a song John had been found to hum to himself when he was busy. "He's still in there, somewhere."

"That's not John anymore, Mabel."

"Then why did he save me?!" She turned to her great uncle who thought of a logical answer.

"The bear was a threat in his territory. It's what animals do."

"How can you just stand there and say that John is gone?! How can you just give up?!" Stan argued as he folded his arms.

"Because it's the truth. I'm sorry but it's highly unlikely that he managed to retain even an iota of his humanity." Ford stated soberly, hands clasped behind his back. Mabel rushed back into the shack, her eyes glistening with tears. Stan glared at his brother before following after her. Dipper remained, looking in the direction where the howling had come from.

"Do you really think he's gone?"

"It would take an incredible amount of will to survive something so drastic, Dipper. Tomorrow I will search the woods for his den. It's too dangerous for you or Mabel to come along."

**Author's Note:**

> I thought, what if I turned John into something that wasn't human but into a wolf with spikes. Not an ordinary wolf. He doesn't remember much of his humanity but he holds onto the things that matter. Ford doesn't believe he's still John. 
> 
> As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.


End file.
